Friday, March 6, 2015

Slice of Life, #6

My mother
died five years ago. She was a pack rat. I have pack rat tendencies. One of the
things of hers I’ve saved is her address book, a black six-ring pseudo-leather
“Made in China Rolodex” notebook.

Why have I
kept it? I don’t know most of the people in it, other than family members, but
certain items bring up memories. An envelope postmarked May 27, 1997 (a month
after her sister died), from Lois Toby, the postmistress of the Vermont village
where my aunt had lived. Several pages from my mother’s passport of her visas
to China and Hong Kong (Apil 10, 1975; October 4, October 17, October 25,
1978). A page listing all the organizations she donated to in 2008; as they
continued to solicit her in 2010 and 2011, I informed them all that she had
died, using the collection of stamps she had amassed in her zeal for
commemoratives – there was about $75 worth of them.

One woman I
never heard of, Vivien Horowitz, has the note: Plays Canasta. I learn that my
mother had phone numbers for Florida Atlantic University’s Holocaust &
Judaic Studies, the School of Arts/Museum, and Friends of Yiddish (which may no
longer exist, as a search of FAU’s Web site today turns up links no more recent
than 2007).

Few of my
mother’s interests are mine, but I miss her talking about them or telling me the
latest U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association news or controversy, or about
learning to play mah-jongg in her 80s. I want to tell her about the video of
Leonard Nimoy talking about growing up speaking Yiddish. I want to keep our
conversation going, and I’m sad that her end of it no longer exists. Only her
address book is still here.

3 comments:

An address book depicted as a connection to our past is a powerful image. I sounds like you and your mother had a shared love of words, history, and culture. Mementos from our journey serve as a reminder that our time here on Earth matters.

An address book really does tell people a lot about WHO you are and about your PASSIONS and INTERESTS. It's probably one of our most personal collections of "stuff" in one small place. A priceless and lasting part of your memories of your mom.